1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an animal litter and method of preparation of animal litter and, more particularly, to an animal litter with chemical additives and physical properties which increase the attractiveness of the litter to the animal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior to the development of the present animal litter, principally three types of litter material were known: clay and expanded clay; alfalfa or grass pellets; and wood chips or sawdust. Each of these types of materials has serious disadvantages when used as a litter base. Clay, because of its high density, is difficult to carry in quantities sufficient for an extended period of use. Even more serious is the disposal problem associated with clay. Clay cannot be disposed of directly on a lawn, nor can it be emptied into the garbage or in the garden. Yacono (U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,708) discloses one such clay-type litter.
Alfalfa or grass pellets also have serious deficiencies. Because these types of litter are edible by bacteria, they tend to mold and develop unpleasant odors. Paper, on the other hand, is not as likely to be subject to bacterial growth. Brewer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,797) discloses a cat litter product prepared with an alfalfa base.
A third kind of litter is made from sawdust, wood chips or bark and fiber crumbs. These litter materials are not effective because they have a wood odor that is unpleasant to the animal. In addition, these pellets are not as absorbent as paper. Cellulose will absorb more water because it does not have lignan and wood tars and turpentines. Neubauer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,050) is one such litter made from bark and fiber crumbs.
White (U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,731) discloses an animal litter product consisting of soft and fluffy paper shavings. The problem with the use of paper shavings is that they stick to the feet of the animal after use. With use, the litter is spread outside of the litter tray and is disliked by the animal because the paper shavings adhere to its feet.
In addition to the deficiencies of the known animal litters as enumerated above, there are other important problems associated with their use. The most important of these is related to the effectiveness of the prior art litters. A common problem associated with the use of an animal litter is that of training the animal to use the litter with a high level of consistency. None of the prior art litters incorporates any features which would make the litter particularly attractive to the animal. While many of these litters contain an odor-inhibiting or masking substance to mask or prevent the formation of odors undesirable to humans, none of the litter products contains a substance that makes the litter attractive to animals. In addition, the physical characteristics of the prior art litters has been predicated by the availability of litter materials. As a result, the characteristics of some of these litter materials, such as paper shavings, is particularly unattractive to the animal. None of the prior art litters is prepared to duplicate the consistency or moisture content of soil or preferably that of fine gravel--yet a soil-like or fine gravel material is the most attractive type of material for an animal seeking a place to defecate and/or urinate.
None of the prior art discloses the use of pelletized paper as the main litter ingredient. Brewer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,581) discloses the pelletizing of particles, but applies it only to the solid excipients which are used as additives to the cat litter rather than the cat litter product itself. The Brewer patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,797) discloses pelletizing the cat litter product, but in a form which involves merely tumbling the mixture together so that it adheres in a snowball form in a noncompacted state. As will be discussed later, there are a number of advantages associated with the use of paper pellets as the litter material.